Lots of ppl here still have, use & love SCNJ-1000, otherwise known as the first & best Ninja. Usually on 775 - a v common platform. Especially that the original Ninja uses a sturdy spring-loaded 775 installation mechanism, so much better than the dreaded pushpins, introduced later on by Scythe's stingy accountants.

I'm one such guy and I want both to upgrade, to 1155 most probably, and to keep my ol' trusty HSF.

Options?

1. SCURK 3 - no, it won't work, at least not as supposed to. Read Scythe forums > linkyWell, actually, I guess I could just use the kit's backplate. I'd also have to cut off the ears/eyes of the original metal retention modules, i.e. just remove the bar connecting each pair. I'd then screw in the ears/eyes individually. Heck, I could even screw in the ears/eyes without a backplate, only with some properly thick washers under the mobo, and hope the PCB won't bend (too much).As for HSF's hooks I think there's enough play at each hook and reaching the ears/eyes spaced at 75 mm (instead of 72 mm) won't be a big deal.

2. Buy a Noctua mounting kit > linkyWorth a try, but I'm not sure if the default Ninja backplate screws that go from the bottom can actually reach thru the backplate, the mobo and into the ears/eyes that latch with the HSF's hooks.

4. Make or have a custom backplate made, in the form of a cross or simply a square, with properly sized and spaced holes. Point is, the thing would have to be at least 2 mm thick (same or thicker than the original backplate) to prevent unnecessary bending. After all, if a backplate is flimsy and bends, what's the use of it? (yeah, I know, the original one bends a little, but has a rubber pad and sits flush with the mobo, thus relieving a lot of stress).

Come to think of it, do you think that placing a flat piece of rubber padded metal onto the original 1155 backplate is actually such a good idea? Noctua 1155/1156 backplate is nicely profiled.

So what do you think?

Last edited by kater on Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

In my opinion the only practical answer is to buy one of the ASRock 1155 motherboards which has dual 775 and 1155 cooler mounting holes. The dual mounting holes feature is called C.C.O. or Combo Cooler Option by ASRock. This is an example of one of the ASRock 1155 boards which has this feature http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.pl.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme4.

I was in the same situation. I concluded that the Ninja backplate would not work on even an Asrock board because of the 1155 backplate and its mounting screws. I almost went with the approach of using some washers with insulating spacers to replace the Ninja backplate, until I realized that the Ninja would be mounted at a cockeyed angle and none of my ducts would fit. That's when I sensibly decided to move on to a Megahalems.

The original Ninja was a true classic, and I'm as nostalgic as the next guy, but really, the Megahalems performs very much the same, and is designed for the modern boards. It also has a much more user-friendly mounting system. So my old Ninja (along with CPU, MB, memory, fan) will be going on eBay...

In my opinion the only practical answer is to buy one of the ASRock 1155 motherboards which has dual 775 and 1155 cooler mounting holes. The dual mounting holes feature is called C.C.O. or Combo Cooler Option by ASRock. This is an example of one of the ASRock 1155 boards which has this feature http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.pl.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme4.

I was in the same situation. I concluded that the Ninja backplate would not work on even an Asrock board because of the 1155 backplate and its mounting screws. I almost went with the approach of using some washers with insulating spacers to replace the Ninja backplate, until I realized that the Ninja would be mounted at a cockeyed angle and none of my ducts would fit. That's when I sensibly decided to move on to a Megahalems.

The original Ninja was a true classic, and I'm as nostalgic as the next guy, but really, the Megahalems performs very much the same, and is designed for the modern boards. It also has a much more user-friendly mounting system. So my old Ninja (along with CPU, MB, memory, fan) will be going on eBay...

by original NInja do you mean using the socket 475 bracket?

my ninja was for the 478 pentium 4 socket, with clips that attach to the motherboard's brackets

CPU Clock Speed Limit:This product is not recommended to use with a high CPU frequency under the fanless mode. If you plan to use this item under fanless mode, your CPU load should be limited to low-middle loading. For high-end usage, we recommend to use an optional 120mm fan. Please use this product at your wn risk.

@ danAsrock seems to be the only mobo maker punching 775 holes along with 1156/1155 holes. 3 mm may be not much, but it does make a difference.I too prefer GB boards. I know, I know, today's Asrock offer great bang/buck deals, but I still prefer GB boards due to their powerful bioses. MSI - read about how they can't deal with lowering CPU voltage in idle when settings are not in auto, and like me you'll perhaps disregard MSI 6 series boards, at least for now.

And yes, by the original Ninja I (and perhaps others here) refer to SCNJ-1000.

Right now, after staring at close-ups of the kit and the backs of 1155 mobos and Scythe mounting mechanism, I'm thinking the best aftermarket thingy to go with SCNJ-1000 and a 1155 board is the Noctua kit (see my links above). I should have the new mobo this week and think I'll get the Noctua kit ASAP as well...

Yep, that one. The original, the classic, the one with backplate & rails on the motherboard and springy clips that were really hard to shove into the rails, the one that had a polished base and solder between the base and the heat pipes. The one that worked better than any heatsink before, and very few after.

I'm only aware of three heat sinks that are competitive: the Megahalems, the HDT-S1283 and the NH-D14. Of these, I think only the Megahalems has kept up with all the Intel socket changes. It has an excellent mounting system for 1155/1156 sockets. It also (like the SCNJ-1000) has solder between the base and the heat pipes (it sadly does not have a smooth base, but that's easily dealt with).

As for the Asrock motherboards, the 775 holes are really there for waterblocks, not for air cooling. They are at an angle from the main 1155 holes, so the heat sink will be at a weird angle relative to the board and the case. Also, like all 1155 motherboards, the Asrock has a backplate for the CPU socket that has three screws protruding out of it. The Megahalems backplate is elevated and has holes to accommodate this; the Ninja backplate has none of this, since the 775 and earlier motherboards were flat on the back (just a few very small capacitors).

The only downside to the Megahalems relative to the SCNJ-1000 is that its fins are very tightly spaced, which makes it slightly less efficient in very-low-airflow environments.

@ danAsrock seems to be the only mobo maker punching 775 holes along with 1156/1155 holes. 3 mm may be not much, but it does make a difference.I too prefer GB boards. I know, I know, today's Asrock offer great bang/buck deals, but I still prefer GB boards due to their powerful bioses. MSI - read about how they can't deal with lowering CPU voltage in idle when settings are not in auto, and like me you'll perhaps disregard MSI 6 series boards, at least for now.

And yes, by the original Ninja I (and perhaps others here) refer to SCNJ-1000.

Right now, after staring at close-ups of the kit and the backs of 1155 mobos and Scythe mounting mechanism, I'm thinking the best aftermarket thingy to go with SCNJ-1000 and a 1155 board is the Noctua kit (see my links above). I should have the new mobo this week and think I'll get the Noctua kit ASAP as well...

I have the original ninja too. I bought the MSI and I kinda regret it as it has no undervolting option (MSI 975x)

my original ninja uses 2 metal bar arms that plug into the holes, and has 2 ring like objects coming out the metal arms for the ninja's push pin.

i don't see why it works for 775 but not for asrock mounting holes

Two issues:1) all 1155 motherboards have a CPU socket back plate and 775 boards did not; the Ninja back plate and 1155 back plate interfere with each other. You can get around this by using (insulated) washers in place of the Ninja back plate.2) the 755 holes on the Asrock board are at an odd angle (the 1155 holes are of course square wrt the case). This puts the Ninja at an angle too, messing up any ducting, and possibly intruding even further into the DRAM slots.

Got my mobo, got the rest of the stuff, got the Noctua kit. No time now to put it together, but preliminary visual inspection (aka "it won't hurt to just take a look how it fits, 5 minutes won't ruin my deadlines") is very promising - the backplate fits nicely (duh!), the original Scythe screws go thru the backplate and into the catches w/o problems - all in all, looks good so far!

What you need (apart from a 1155/1156 board and the original Ninja SCNJ-1000) is a backplate, such as one found in the Noctua NM-I3 SecuFirm2™ Mounting-Kit and a cutting tool.

The original backplate vs the Noctua backplate - notice how the Noctua backplate is recessed to accommodate the 1155/1156 socket original smallish backplate and how it nicely fits with two out of the three screws in the mobo's original backplate.

Use lever assisted end cutting nippers to remove the bar connecting the eyes. After you've dressed the wound in your palm, exactly where your thumb begins, and wiped the blood clean, get a metal file and work the rough edges a little.

Proceed to install the now separate eyes just as you would originally - through the board and into the backplate. Use the original screws - they'll be long enough and their heads will rest nicely on the new backplate. The eyes are a little off center - point them outwards or the HSF hooks won't catch.I also placed very thin plastic washers between the upper surface of the mobo and the eyes - it's not necessary, but I just feel safer that I won't disrupt the mobo's electric paths. Make sure to use only v v thin, tiny, plastic washers, as thick ones may elevate the eyes too far from the mobo and the Ninja's spring mounted hooks may not provide enough force.

Apply a small dot of thermal goo and install the heatsink to check if there's in fact enough pressure. The pictured result seems good enough to me. Anyway, you'll know there is enough pressure even w/o checking it with the thermal compound - I couldn't actually move or turn the Ninja a bit once installed. It feels it sits as reliably as ever.

You may also notice I've replaced the original push-pins in the VRM heatsink next to the I/O panel with screws & nuts and I've also applied some spare smallish heatsinks to the VRMs the manufacturer decided to leave bare on the GA-P67A-UD3-B3. Not that it probably matters as the UD3 is not a heavy OC enthusiast board, but still - better keep your voltage regulation cool, especially that this is not a blow-down cooler.

Edit - typos

Last edited by kater on Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

certainly it's sold in many EU stores (though availability in the UK is poor, and priced 2-3 times more than rest of EU) In the USA it's available from a few places: Amazon, Cooltech and FrozenCPU (according a quick search on google.com)

certainly it's sold in many EU stores (though availability in the UK is poor, and priced 2-3 times more than rest of EU) In the USA it's available from a few places: Amazon, Cooltech and FrozenCPU (according a quick search on google.com)

Sorry I wasn't quite clear. I meant the hooks for the clamps. Supposedly from the Ninja mounting kit?

The hooks & clamps were a part of the original Ninja SCNJ-1000, Ninja Plus SCNJ-1000P and Ninja Cu SCNJCU-1000. With SCNJ-1000 the hooks were impossible to remove from the heatsink. With Copper and Plus models the hooks were detachable. You could browse this page's discontinued section - link - to see other models & their accessories.

I can't really say if XP120 hooks will catch properly with Scythe eyes to give you good pressure. Looks like they might, but I can't say. Perhaps there are dedicated Tr kits that would extend XP120 compatibility to 1155/1156 not with hooks, but with spring loaded screws? Well, you'd have to find out - I've researched Scythe coolers rather than Tr.

Anyway, for about 2 days I've been playing with my new gear and have to say temps are really good. Ninja is now in semi-fanless mode - there is a PSU fan over it and a fan in the back of the case, both 120 mm, both spinning at 600-700 rpm, both some 6-7 cm away. Case is on the desk right now, w/o sides, ambient temp is <25 C. In idle all cores are <35 C, and under load all are <60 C or just slightly over 60 C. I'm messing with volts, mutipliers, turbo etc. now so the CPU clock is 16-29, sometimes 33. All is cool

After researching this topic for my new build, and studying kater's work (mega props buddy!), I was ready to attempt this mod last night. I was so excited that I took the plastic retention bracket from my recently deceased skt 478 board to practised on.

Only to discover that I can't find my metal retention brackets! Maybe I used them already when I built mom's computer in 2008, transferring a Thermalright XP-120 from her P4 Northwood (my old rig) to the new E6300 Wolfdale LGA775 machine. I just don't remember now.

Now, I ask you, can a man that assembles computers for family & friends sit patiently on $800 of hardware that he finally gets for himself? No way Jose! I'm here no?

Gentlemen, I'm here to tell you this: my Ninja is now mounted in the manner of the OP but using an old socket 478 plastic retention bracket with push pins!

It's a good fit. If it ever gets loose, or I get to tinkering more, I will bolt it down with appropriate washers/gaskets/insulation. I've installed heavy Arctic Cooling heatsinks before and they all use similar plastic push pins.

As a bonus, the bracket478 is rectangular and on the long sides with the hooks the pins are spaced a hair under the 75mm we need. I had to separate the other 2 because there are components in the way on my gb-ud3h mobo. (All "cuts" were made using pliers to grip and bend/pinch off, mostly with another set of pliers to support the working side as plastic deforms easily when using this grip and tear method.)

I didn't even think about it when I ordered some sandy bridge parts for my HTPC. Ive been using the Ninja mini in a fusion case with only the case fans. Loosing the ability to use this cooler would definitely mean a loud replacement or weeks of searching to find nothing suitable.

@ danAsrock seems to be the only mobo maker punching 775 holes along with 1156/1155 holes. 3 mm may be not much, but it does make a difference.I too prefer GB boards. I know, I know, today's Asrock offer great bang/buck deals, but I still prefer GB boards due to their powerful bioses. MSI - read about how they can't deal with lowering CPU voltage in idle when settings are not in auto, and like me you'll perhaps disregard MSI 6 series boards, at least for now.

And yes, by the original Ninja I (and perhaps others here) refer to SCNJ-1000.

Right now, after staring at close-ups of the kit and the backs of 1155 mobos and Scythe mounting mechanism, I'm thinking the best aftermarket thingy to go with SCNJ-1000 and a 1155 board is the Noctua kit (see my links above). I should have the new mobo this week and think I'll get the Noctua kit ASAP as well...

Yep, that one. The original, the classic, the one with backplate & rails on the motherboard and springy clips that were really hard to shove into the rails, the one that had a polished base and solder between the base and the heat pipes. The one that worked better than any heatsink before, and very few after.

I'm only aware of three heat sinks that are competitive: the Megahalems, the HDT-S1283 and the NH-D14. Of these, I think only the Megahalems has kept up with all the Intel socket changes. It has an excellent mounting system for 1155/1156 sockets. It also (like the SCNJ-1000) has solder between the base and the heat pipes (it sadly does not have a smooth base, but that's easily dealt with).

As for the Asrock motherboards, the 775 holes are really there for waterblocks, not for air cooling. They are at an angle from the main 1155 holes, so the heat sink will be at a weird angle relative to the board and the case. Also, like all 1155 motherboards, the Asrock has a backplate for the CPU socket that has three screws protruding out of it. The Megahalems backplate is elevated and has holes to accommodate this; the Ninja backplate has none of this, since the 775 and earlier motherboards were flat on the back (just a few very small capacitors).

The only downside to the Megahalems relative to the SCNJ-1000 is that its fins are very tightly spaced, which makes it slightly less efficient in very-low-airflow environments.

the 775 holes work is it installs 2 metal arms through the holes, and then the push pin on the heatpipe fishook into the eye of the arms.

my original ninja uses 2 metal bar arms that plug into the holes, and has 2 ring like objects coming out the metal arms for the ninja's push pin.

i don't see why it works for 775 but not for asrock mounting holes

Two issues:1) all 1155 motherboards have a CPU socket back plate and 775 boards did not; the Ninja back plate and 1155 back plate interfere with each other. You can get around this by using (insulated) washers in place of the Ninja back plate.2) the 755 holes on the Asrock board are at an odd angle (the 1155 holes are of course square wrt the case). This puts the Ninja at an angle too, messing up any ducting, and possibly intruding even further into the DRAM slots.

What you need (apart from a 1155/1156 board and the original Ninja SCNJ-1000) is a backplate, such as one found in the Noctua NM-I3 SecuFirm2™ Mounting-Kit and a cutting tool.

The original backplate vs the Noctua backplate - notice how the Noctua backplate is recessed to accommodate the 1155/1156 socket original smallish backplate and how it nicely fits with two out of the three screws in the mobo's original backplate.

Use lever assisted end cutting nippers to remove the bar connecting the eyes. After you've dressed the wound in your palm, exactly where your thumb begins, and wiped the blood clean, get a metal file and work the rough edges a little.

Proceed to install the now separate eyes just as you would originally - through the board and into the backplate. Use the original screws - they'll be long enough and their heads will rest nicely on the new backplate. The eyes are a little off center - point them outwards or the HSF hooks won't catch.I also placed very thin plastic washers between the upper surface of the mobo and the eyes - it's not necessary, but I just feel safer that I won't disrupt the mobo's electric paths. Make sure to use only v v thin, tiny, plastic washers, as thick ones may elevate the eyes too far from the mobo and the Ninja's spring mounted hooks may not provide enough force.

Apply a small dot of thermal goo and install the heatsink to check if there's in fact enough pressure. The pictured result seems good enough to me. Anyway, you'll know there is enough pressure even w/o checking it with the thermal compound - I couldn't actually move or turn the Ninja a bit once installed. It feels it sits as reliably as ever.

You may also notice I've replaced the original push-pins in the VRM heatsink next to the I/O panel with screws & nuts and I've also applied some spare smallish heatsinks to the VRMs the manufacturer decided to leave bare on the GA-P67A-UD3-B3. Not that it probably matters as the UD3 is not a heavy OC enthusiast board, but still - better keep your voltage regulation cool, especially that this is not a blow-down cooler.

Edit - typos

awesome and yes that's the Ninja I have. AND I have those 2 metal arms. My pc works fine so I don't plan to upgrade until maybe Haswell.

One question,

how does the 3mm spacing difference from the 775 to 1155 affect the security of the attachment?

The cooler sits as tight as before. In fact, the only difference is the missing bar joining the eyes (now separate, see pics). The hooks attached to the heatsink itself are, as you're very well aware yourself, quite loose and can be shifted slightly apart to accommodate for the additional 3 mm. The Noctua backplate is a great contraption and v secure, too.

With ambient at 21-22 (early autumn here, still sunny and nice, yeah!) and with the 120mm PWM fan at <500 RPM my undervolted CPU idles at 30/31/37/38 and scores 54-60 after a few minutes of Prime95. When playing Witcher 2, cores barely hit 60. The fan ramps up to 600 RPM. Perhaps if let it run for an hour the temps will eventually climb a little higher, but for all practical purposes this is quite representative. All temps in Celsius.

I'm overall v pleased with the mod myself and plan to keep using the now 5 y.o. Ninja for future builds as well. Given how CPUs become more powerful and less power hungry I'm sure it still has a few years of good service ahead. Unless they invent a hexagonal socket or something...

The cooler sits as tight as before. In fact, the only difference is the missing bar joining the eyes (now separate, see pics). The hooks attached to the heatsink itself are, as you're very well aware yourself, quite loose and can be shifted slightly apart to accommodate for the additional 3 mm. The Noctua backplate is a great contraption and v secure, too.

With ambient at 21-22 (early autumn here, still sunny and nice, yeah!) and with the 120mm PWM fan at <500 RPM my undervolted CPU idles at 30/31/37/38 and scores 54-60 after a few minutes of Prime95. When playing Witcher 2, cores barely hit 60. The fan ramps up to 600 RPM. Perhaps if let it run for an hour the temps will eventually climb a little higher, but for all practical purposes this is quite representative. All temps in Celsius.

I'm overall v pleased with the mod myself and plan to keep using the now 5 y.o. Ninja for future builds as well. Given how CPUs become more powerful and less power hungry I'm sure it still has a few years of good service ahead. Unless they invent a hexagonal socket or something...

I'm impressed you pulled it off and shared it with you, kudos.

My core2 duo 775 scythe Ninja is fine. But it's very cool to know if I do upgrade to ivy bridge or haswell I can reuse it, provided that the noctua backplate is still being sold.

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